


La Donna in Ghiaccio

by et_spiritus_sancti



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 07:52:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9428291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/et_spiritus_sancti/pseuds/et_spiritus_sancti
Summary: A woman in the 21st century is abducted by aliens and eventually cryogenically frozen for centuries. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Paris is seeing ghostly images and fears he is losing his mind. Fate has a funny way of bringing soul mates together, and it cares little about time.





	

Hi folks. This is an older story I began a few years ago. Trying to get back into it, so we'll see how it goes. Just a trigger warning, there's some domestic violence and language in this chapter. 

Enjoy, and please share your thoughts and criticisms. I have a fair bit already written, but I am more than happy to go back and adjust as needed. 

-Sancti

Chapter 1

Somewhere Outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  
Year: 2006 AD

“Elena.” The voice was distant. Familiar. But too far away to care about. Yet, it was calling her name.

“Elena?” The voice was tinted with worry now. Perhaps she should pay attention. 

The young woman opened her eyes and was greeted by two brown quivering orbs staring back at her. Elena blinked, at first quite confused by the creature before her. 

“Elena, are you alright? Should I find Brian to do it?” The girl speaking was Liz. She was certain of that. Memory and consciousness suddenly spread smoothly through her. She tore her gaze from the labrador-shepherd puppy to young Liz, the kennel girl. 

“No,” her voice came as a harsh whisper. She cleared her throat and gathered a deep breath, bringing with it all the typical odors of an animal clinic. She was able to identify the strong scent of disinfectants and the musty stench of the tomcat caged a few feet away. Swallowing, she continued. “No, Liz. I’m fine.” The teenager stared at her doubtfully. Annoyed, Elena picked up the IV catheter and an alcohol swab. “Just hold off the vein, please.” 

The puppy squirmed under the sudden restraint, but Liz, a girl who had raised goats since she could walk, kept a firm grip on the puppy and held the vein off under her thumb like any seasoned vet technician. The dog’s arm had already been shaved as Elena swabbed the area with alcohol, the coolness of it making the puppy twitch. Elena watched with pleasure as the vein popped up. Steadying it with her thumb, she slid the catheter in, feeling the surge of satisfaction as a flash of blood appeared. She immediately attached the IV line, flushed it with saline, capped it off and went to work taping the arm. Finally securing it all with bright red vet-wrap bandaging. Setting the IV pump, Elena sighed as the puppy whined and squirmed some more in Liz’s arms. 

“Maybe if you didn’t eat everything in sight, you wouldn’t have a blanket lodged in your intestines, hm?” The puppy glared at her, almost in understanding. Ignoring him, Elena nodded to Liz. “Go and tell Brian he’s ready for his pre-med. I’ll watch him.”

Liz seemed confused as she let go of the dog. And rightly so. It would’ve been easier for Elena to go, but she needed a moment alone. She needed a moment to figure out why she had—what could she call it? Hallucinated? Blacked out? She dared to recall the images as she kept a firm hand on the puppy, who was already licking at the bandage over his catheter.  
The images came to her instantaneously, strong and clear as memories formed just moments before. There had been blackness. Impenetrable blackness save for one red blinking light. And so cold. The kind of cold that numbed the tips of your fingers and made it hard to move. She could feel it now, despite the fact that her hand was buried in the soft, thick and warm fur of the puppy. There had been someone with her, of that she was certain. It was a man. And his still, frozen fingers were laced with hers. He was behind her, and she laid against him. There was no sound, save for the harsh breaths of them both. Harsh because the air was almost not breathable. So thin. Beyond them, that single blinking red light continued. Then breaking the silence, a cold, emotionless voice made a horrifying announcement, its own voice crackling and broken. 

***“Warning. Life support critical. Available oxygen at eighteen percent.”  
The man let out a soft sigh. “Don’t worry, Elena. It’ll just be a little longer and they’ll find us.”  
In her heart she knew the man was wrong. Anger boiled in her gut and she wanted to lash out at him. To scream at him that he was wrong and they were going to die. She suppressed the emotion. After all, she had no idea who he was. Only that being close to him was important. And somewhere, her heart whispered that she loved him. Impossible. It all was.  
Her shoulder was suddenly shaking.***

Her whole body shuddered and her eyes snapped open, feeling much like she had when Liz called her from the dreams. This time it was Brian staring at her, his eyes narrowed in curiosity. Through his scruffy goatee, she could see his frown. 

“Elena, everything okay? Liz said you were out of it.”

Automatically, she looked beyond Brian to see the girl concentrating seriously on washing a bowl at the sink. Suppressing a scowl, Elena nodded at the young veterinarian.   
“Yes, I’m fine. Working on little sleep today, that’s all.” With a forced smile, she put an arm around the puppy. “Ready?”

Brian held up the syringe of the light sedation. With ease, he found a spot on the puppy’s rump to inject the medication into its muscle. The puppy jerked in her arms but Brian was quick and a second later he placed the cap back over the needle. 

“Alrighty, I’ll meet you in surgery in ten,” He gave the puppy a quick scratch on his head before looking up at Elena, “And don’t you Italians take coffee breaks every other hour? I suggest you quickly down a cup. It’s gonna be a long surgery and I don’t need you zoning out when I’m elbow deep in intestines.” With a quick smile, he turned on his heel, his pristine white coat billowing slightly behind him. 

Once he was gone, Elena fixed on the young girl at the sink who was obviously trying to appear invisible. Quickly returning the now sleepy-eyed puppy to its cage and starting the IV pump, Elena then walked up behind Liz as she washed the same bowl twice and tried to ignore the angry technician. 

“If you ever do that again, I’ll…I’ll…” She sputtered, trying to conceive a reasonable threat. 

The girl turned, an eyebrow raised. “I could get you into far more trouble that you could get me.”

Elena’s blood chilled and she felt as though her insides were doused with freezing water. There’s no way she could know. With one more meaningful look, Liz turned her back to her and continued to wash the same bowl. 

***

Elena roughly shifted her Ford Fusion into gear. It was late. Right before she had planned on leaving, they received an emergency call for a choked horse. Cazzo. Fuck. Shit. Merda. It whatever language, the words fit her internal reaction. Hours of tubing and pumping later, she was finally on her way home, smelling now of not only dog but horse too. So much for a romantic evening with Ian. She was exhausted, rank, sweaty and absolutely terrified of Liz’s threat. Not to mention she had managed to hallucinate twice that day. Without the assistance of ketamine. She shuddered, thinking about the little bottle safely in the zipper pouch of her purse. It had become too easy to steal. And apparently too noticeable. She almost pulled over that very moment to chuck it into the woods. But she continued on, eager to get out of the countryside and back to the warm, welcoming lights of the city. She imagined the warm shower, washing off all the grime and filth. Then finally into her feather-soft bed and in the arms of Ian. Maybe they could even still make it a romantic evening. He might be angry though. There were three missed calls from him on her cell phone. All of them were accompanied by voicemails. She didn’t feel like calling him back. 

Elena immediately felt comfort form in her gut when she reached her exit, pulling into a busy city street. All of the lights from the buildings and intersections almost made you forget it was night time. The country wasn’t like that. There, it was impossible to escape the darkness. When she reached her apartment building, her usual spot on the street was already taken. Not surprised, she parked about a block away. The city didn’t frighten her. She could walk around any inch of it with her head held high. Tonight, however, she felt a twinge of fear as she exited her car.  
Elena smoothed over her scrub top and adjusted her purse strap before finally heading towards her building. As she walked away, she pointed her remote to the car and heard the locks clack into place. Keeping her chin up, she walked briskly on the uneven sidewalk. She started to walk faster when she couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes on her. She broke into a run when she thought she heard her name whispered. Even though it was just a block from her building it seemed as if she was no closer, no matter how fast she ran. The chilly night air stung her face as she ran, the muscles of her legs aching after such a long day of use. The adrenaline was kicking in though and the pain quickly subsided and she sprinted even faster. 

All the while, she could have sworn footsteps were running just as fast right behind her. She reached the steps of her building and took them two at a time. She jammed her key into the door-lock and in one fluid motion slipped inside and slammed it behind her. She almost couldn’t breathe as her lungs burned but eventually her chest heaved up and down. She was terrified to turn around. She could picture whatever chasing her pressed against the glass doors, eager to get inside and take her. Slowly, once she regained her breath, Elena turned to look outside. There was nothing. No demon or vagrant. There was no movement in the shadows. Not even a bit of wind. 

Gasping still, she backed away from the doors, opening the second door-set and stumbling to the elevator. She was beyond exhausted now, and her muscles twitched and spasmed in her legs. She smashed her hand on the elevator button, relieved when the doors opened right away. She hit the button for the fourth floor, almost shrieking when the elevator groaned to life. Finally starting to relax, she leaned her head back against the wall, her heart still pumping faster than it should have. The ding of the elevator having reached her floor jolted her from her position against the wall. She exited slowly, her keys still out as she headed for her door at the end of the hallway. After such an exertion, her legs now felt like cement and her walk to the apartment took far too long. It took more than a couple times to get the key into the door lock and when she did, the little click filled her with some composure. She opened the door and stepped in, closing the door behind her, then collided with a solid figure.

Elena gasped; she wanted to shriek, but it was stuck in her throat. Familiar hands gripped her upper arms to keep her from backing out. Elena couldn’t make out his face, but just by feel, she knew it was her boyfriend. 

“Ian,” She breathed a sigh of relief, but his grip on her did not loosen, and it started to hurt. Her gut tightened in anxiety. Why didn’t he let her go? “Ian, stop it.” She tried to sound strong and unafraid, but her voice came out trembling and broken. His fingers squeezed into the delicate skin of her arms. 

“I called. You didn’t answer.” The voice was Ian’s, yet it wasn’t. His tone was deadly. That alone confirmed Elena’s worst fear. Sometimes he would go months without doing this. She could even manage to make him angry and he wouldn’t do anything. At other times, the smallest event could set him off. Like ignoring his calls. Elena licked her lips, a shudder passed through her body and she chose her words carefully. 

“Ian, we had an emergency. A horse. My phone didn’t even have signal out there.”

He suddenly gripped tighter and gave one violent jerk of her body, enough for her to feel a bone in her neck crack. “Liar!” He raised his voice for the first time, his hands an iron grip around her. Elena felt tears prickling in her eyes. It was too dark to see his face. But she knew his teeth were probably bared and his eyes would be almost black. 

“You were with him, weren’t you?” Ian finally let her go, but just to shove her backwards. 

Her back and head slammed against the door. Before she could recover herself, she was on the floor. It took a second more to realize she’d been backhanded. Pain bloomed over her cheek and a wet, warm substance slithered down her face and traveled to her neck. She knew it was Ian’s college ring that had opened her cheek. The pulsating throb of pain followed. Again, she had little time to react when his hands grasped her scrub top and he yanked her to her feet. 

Elena didn’t scream out. She didn’t fight him. She knew such behavior would only further infuriate him. Instead, she searched for the little room inside her mind. The very corner of her consciousness where she could hide from the pain. The little room contained all the warm, happy thoughts and memories she had experienced. There was a small window in that room, glazed over and difficult to see through, but on the other side of it lay reality. Vaguely, she could hear Ian’s horrible accusations and threats. The room vibrated whenever he struck her. She experienced vertigo when a strike to her abdomen made her double-over and fall to her knees, but she felt no pain. He grabbed her hair and he dragged her to the bedroom, his hand entangled in her dark locks. It was difficult to keep herself separated during the ordeal. She stayed lifeless as he violated her, making a complete mockery of the incredible love-making they used to enjoy sharing with each other. Deep inside, Elena stayed hidden in her little room. She closed out all senses until everything turned to black. 

***

There was no time in this place. Only the passing of one event to another. There were events of pain, loneliness. Nakedness. Terror. But not what she was used to. They did not abuse her out of anger or intoxication. They were methodical and precise. And devoid of emotion. They did not care about Elena the person. Just the human female. Elena was no more. 

The alarm woke her from the nightmare. Elena shot up in the bed. Cold sweat trickled down her back and she gasped for air. The alarm on her cell phone continued. On instinct, she reached for the end table, but it wasn’t there. Cursing, she reached over to the floor, feeling her scrubs and she frantically fished for the pockets, eventually feeling the smoothness of her phone. She quickly shut off the noise. Sighing deeply, she noticed the glow of the numbers on her phone, reading that it was five am. 

An indiscernible grumble came from beside her. Elena turned her head slowly to see Ian, open-mouthed and drooling, sprawled out on his side of the bed. The new bottle of ketamine was resting in his open hand. Sleepily, he scratched himself before continuing to snore. Elena took a deep breath, immediately regretting it when sharp pain exploded in her abdomen. Hissing through her teeth, Elena pressed her hand to the tender area feeling her swollen flesh. Getting up slowly, she tiptoed out the bedroom, grabbing a towel that had been lying on the floor.   
The hot shower water on her wounds delivered some relief, but she planned on bringing a bottle of Advil with her in preparation for the painful twelve hour day ahead. She wasn’t sure how long she stood under the hot spray. Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open. Elena gasped, putting her back to the slick shower wall. She could make out Ian’s figure through the blurriness of the shower curtain. He ignored her and trudged over to the toilet. She heard him flip up the toilet seat and proceed to urinate. When he was finished, he shuffled back to the door. Before closing it, he turned and Elena could barely make out his features through the curtain. 

“Don’t fucking use all the hot water.” With that, he slammed the door shut behind him. 

Elena released a substantial, shaky breath. With it, tears flowed and she slapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the sobs. 

After dressing and drying her hair, Elena breezed into the kitchen, ignoring Ian as he stood over a frying pan that chattered with the sounds of fried eggs and bacon. The smell, usually something Elena had considered scrumptious, left a foul lump in her throat. She opened the fridge and grabbed a yogurt. Leaning against the counter farthest from Ian, she quickly jabbed spoonfuls into her mouth. Ian nudged the bacon around in the pan. He was already showered and dressed for the office. Without looking up, he gestured to the pan.

“You want some?”

Elena stared at him. With acid in her voice, she replied with a sharp, “No.”

Ian glanced at her, his gaze resting on her cut cheek. “You didn’t hide that very well.”

Tossing the spoon in the sink and the yogurt cup in the garbage, Elena grabbed her purse and keys that Ian must have placed on the counter. Swinging the strap over her shoulder, she fixed him with a glare. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have hit me.” 

Without missing a beat, he retorted, “Maybe you should have called me.” He popped a morsel of bacon in his mouth, then smirked. Disgusted, Elena whipped passed him, inhaling the cologne she’d given him for Christmas last year. 

As she walked briskly down the block to her car, she recalled the fright from the night before. Such unexplainable anxiety and fear. Everything seemed innocent now in the light of the sunrise. She made it to her car and pressed the unlock button of her remote. Instead of a loud click of the locks, it was dull. The sound usually made when the doors were already unlocked. Elena halted and stood completely rigid. She always locked her car. And she clearly recalled doing so the night before. Expecting the worst, she slowly came around the front to the driver’s side. There was no broken glass. That was good at least. Did they use the old wire hanger trick? She opened the door and inspected the stereo. Completely intact. Puzzled, she gave a once-over to the rest of the car. She normally didn’t leave anything valuable in there, but the entire incident was bizarre. Nothing was disturbed. 

The deep chiming of bells caused Elena to jump, nearly slamming her head on the door frame. The church down the street had wonderful old bells that chimed on the hour. This morning, however, Elena almost lost her bladder at the sound of them. When she heard seven chimes, she cursed to herself. 

Elena joined the hustle and bustle of morning traffic as she pulled onto the busy city streets. It took only a few minutes though for her to exit downtown and she found herself quite alone. Everyone on the other side of the highway were jammed together trying to get into the city. Meanwhile, she was one of the few on a commute away from the hectic metropolis. Most of her fellow commuters were semis and she had to pass one every few minutes. 

The blinding light of the sunrise made it an uncomfortable drive into the countryside. But she finally arrived at the old clinic, pulling in to see Liz’s, Brian’s and the receptionist’s cars already there. As usual, Elena was the last to arrive. She turned off her car and inspected her reflection in the rear view mirror. Even with a substantial amount of foundation, the cut on her cheek was quite visible and the flesh surrounding it was red and puffy.

“Sei una scema, Elena.” She murmured to herself. Sighing sharply, she gathered her things and headed towards the clinic. Once inside, she was again immediately assaulted by the odors and sounds of the hospital. The dogs in the kennel were barking and howling as if screaming “me next,” and she could hear the clacking of cage doors as Liz took the next dog out for a walk.   
The office was buzzing when she arrived. Both phone lines were ringing and the receptionist’s hair had its 3 o’clock-frizz going on already. Barely having a chance to remove her coat, Brian whisked into the room dressed in his coveralls and dropped a backpack in her arms before heaving himself into a chair and taking off his clinic sneakers . He glanced at her quickly as he pulled on heavy, rubber barn boots.

“You’re here early.” He remarked with half a grin. 

Elena shifted uncomfortably. “I’m actually on time.” 

“That’s excellent. We have a call,” The doctor grunted as he struggled with the other boot, “A three year old heifer was supposed to freshen two weeks ago and now she’s down.”

Elena felt her stomach churn. She was not in the mood for helping to cut out dead baby cows. Then again she was never in the mood for this procedure. It was dirty, disgusting, and would probably take half the day. She suddenly felt a glint of hope however. 

“Ah, well, you see I don’t have my coveralls with me today.” That should give her an excuse to stay. 

Brian breezed by her, grabbing the backpack out of her arms along the way. “No problem, I have an extra pair in the truck, now let’s get a move on.”

The grinding in her stomach intensified and with a deep sigh she turned around and left the same way she came in. She caught a whiff of the cologne Brian left in his path, realizing how similar it was to Ian’s. It would be the last nice thing she’d smell for a long time. She suddenly heard the roar of a diesel engine from outside as Brian started the truck. Picking up her pace she left the clinic just as a stiff breeze whipped through the parking lot, bringing with it the smell of the diesel gasoline. It was a cool autumn day and blue sky peeked between dense, fast-moving clouds as the sun continued its journey upwards. Elena watched Brian rummage through the custom storage on the bed of his truck, probably making sure that he had the chains, crank and wire ready for the grisly task ahead. 

Another stiff wind whipped the thin scrubs Elena wore and goose bumps rose on her flesh. The woods behind the clinic almost seemed to whisper in the breeze and Elena suddenly felt the same eyes on her as from the night before. She felt an intense gaze followed by the sound of her name; male or female she couldn’t distinguish it. Elena turned around, staring into the woods. The trees caressed each other, making that eerie whisper. The sound in her ears went hollow, as though she were under water, but the voice remained. It called to her like a predator trying to seduce its prey. It said things to her in Italian, English, and a strange garbled language she couldn’t understand. Soon, another voice joined, but it didn’t whisper. It growled. A low, throaty growl like a mad dog about to attack. Then it seemed as if something was getting ready to rush towards her. She swore the ground vibrated as hard, rapid footfalls came nearer. 

***

“Elena!”

Tom found himself sitting upright in bed, the sweat damp on his back. Everywhere, his skin crawled as if million of tiny insects were burrowing just under his flesh. His chest heaved up and down, trying desperately to fill his lungs with air, but they only burned with each breath he took. His room was dark, save for the gentle blue light behind his bed that served to cast eerie shadows on the objects around him. A small hand touched his arm and he swore he could feel all those tiny bugs scatter under his skin. His body shook as he looked to the source of the touch.

“Tom? What’s wrong?”

It took him a long moment to remember where he was, why he was here, and probably most importantly what this woman’s name was. She was beautiful, certainly. Her long red hair fell in gentle waves about her shoulders. Her blue eyes reflected perfectly the blue light behind them that also illuminated her milky skin. She was also naked. That was the trigger that brought back all the memories of that night and Tom was suddenly quite aware of his own nakedness. 

“Elena?” It was the only name on his mind. He had to take the chance that it was hers. But two seconds later, he was proven quite wrong. Her lovely brow creased and she huffed a sigh, throwing off what little bit of bed sheet was actually covering her. She swung her exquisite legs to the floor and sprung off the bed to gather her clothes that were scattered throughout the room. Slowly, Tom’s senses returned and he squeezed his eyes shut in regret. 

“Madeline.” He muttered. Crewman Madeline McCormick. The blazing redhead of Engineering. She scoffed. 

“Too late, Tom. I should’ve known better. Computer, lights!” Bright illumination filled the room and both of them squinted under the sudden assault on their eyes. She struggled with her bra for a moment before finally securing it and hastily pulled on her matching panties, “Sarah and Valerie tried to warn me about you. But I just thought you were so cute. Idiot.” She tried to squeeze herself back into the impossibly tight dress and only succeeded in getting her arms stuck. With a growl, she tore it off and threw it at Tom’s head. 

“God! I used up two weeks’ worth of replicator rations for that stupid dress!” She quickly located Tom’s shirt and slacks and slipped them on easily. 

“Madeline, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Save it, Lieutenant,” She crawled under the dinette table to retrieve her handbag and shoes before finally standing with a hand on her hip, looking rather ridiculous yet still stunning in the baggy clothes, “You’ll get these back when I feel like it. Don’t ever speak to me again, Tom Paris.” She made an about face, red hair whipping about her as she made for the door, stuffing her handbag under her arm and one red 4-inch high heeled shoe in each hand. The door whooshed closed behind her, the scent of roses in her wake. 

Tom sat stunned. How did that just happen? He liked her very much. He’d had his eye on her for months waiting for the right moment to ask her out. He planned their evening so carefully in the holodeck and was actually genuinely surprised when she wanted to end the night in his quarters. Why the hell would he forget her name? His thoughts finally worked backwards to the dream that startled him from his sleep. Elena. Who was she? Tom could only recall facets of this dream. It was certainly the same woman that had been haunting his thoughts for weeks. Quite certain he wouldn’t fall back to sleep, Tom slid out of bed and rustled through drawers to find another set of civilian clothes. He pulled them on not even certain if they matched and stormed out of his quarters bare-foot. 

The trip to sickbay didn’t take long and he only passed a couple people on the way. He knew they stared at him and his disheveled appearance, not to mention it was far too early in the morning for senior officers to be about. He ignored them and finally entered the sterile, brightly-lit atmosphere of sickbay. The Doctor had his back to him at the console and looked to be running a self-diagnostic. 

“Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” His usual announcement was clipped and cool as to be expected as Tom trudged over to a bed, “Ah, Mr. Paris. Rather early in the morning isn’t it?” Then the Doctor stretched open his mouth wider than it seemed possible and let out a long, vocal yawn which he finished with a smile. Tom stared at him from the edge of the bed.   
“Doc, what was that?”

The Doctor’s smile fell and his shiny forehead creased. “It’s simply another addition to my personality sub-routines. Did it seem genuine?” He asked hopefully. 

Tom considered telling him that it was actually slightly terrifying but the Doctor had become more sensitive these days. “It was quite a yawn, Doc.”

Satisfied, the hologram came to Tom’s side with a medical tricorder. “Now what brings you to Sickbay so early, Mr. Paris?”

As he sat there, Tom suddenly felt silly for coming. But he’d learned since being in the Delta Quadrant that if anything seemed out of place, it might just be an alien screwing with you. Taking a deep breath, he began. 

“Well, Doc, I’ve been having these…” He tried to find the right words, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous. The Doctor waited patiently as he scanned him, “I don’t want to call them dreams. They’re more like memories, but—I’m positive I haven’t experienced them before.”

The Doctor listened, nodding as he interpreted the tricorder readings. “Do you think it is a suppressed memory?”

Tom considered that for a moment but in his bones he knew he’d never physically experienced the images in his head. “No. They involve someone I’ve never met. And it all occurs here, in the Delta Quadrant. At first I didn’t pay much attention to them but it’s happening when I’m awake now. And—well it woke me from a dead sleep this morning followed by some…temporary memory loss.” 

The Doctor stopped scanning his body and concentrated on his head. “What are the dreams about?”

Tom felt heat creep into his cheeks. Usually he wasn’t bashful about such a subject but the dreams were quite vivid and in some ways disturbing. The Doctor picked up on his hesitation.   
“Now now, Mr. Paris. No need to be shy. I am a doctor and quite professional.” The Doctor put a manufactured expression of concern on his face. It looked like he’d been practicing the expression for quite some time. 

Tom sighed and reasoned with himself that this was why he came here. To find an answer. “They’re about a woman,” He thought he saw the Doctor attempt to suppress an eye-roll, “She’s someone I’ve never met.”

“An alien?”

Tom thought the question through carefully. Unless an alien was manipulating his mind into thinking the woman was Human, she was definitely Human. “No.”

“Well what happens when you see her?”

Tom looked away and concentrated on the carpet below his slightly swaying legs. “The timeline doesn’t make sense. Sometimes her and I are—” He gesticulated awkwardly. Why was it so hard to say? He felt such a need to keep it private, “We’re, you know, intimate. Other times it’s like we just met.” 

The Doctor didn’t judge and instead nodded before going over to his medical tray filled with an array of hyposprays. “You said it’s been happening during the day too?”

“Yeah, it’s involuntary though. One moment I’m at the helm, the next I’m—” Tom chuckled and felt warmth in his stomach, “Well—I’m not steering the ship that’s for sure.” The Doctor did not seem amused by his joke and handed him a hypospray. 

“I want you to inject 1 gram before you go to sleep for the next 5 nights. It will relax your brain to the point where you shouldn’t dream at all. Then we’ll see what happens.” 

Tom pocketed the hypospray and hopped off the bed. “Did anything show up in your scans?”

“No, but if you have an episode during the day, while you’re awake, I want you to come straight to Sickbay, understood?”

“You got it, Doc.” 

***


End file.
